Research

Patzkowsky elected Fellow of the Paleontological Society

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Mark Patzkowsky, professor of geosciences in Penn State's College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, has been elected a 2014 Fellow of the Paleontological Society.

Fellows are members who have made significant contributions to paleontology through research, teaching or service to the profession and who have compiled a substantial record of high-quality work in the profession. Less than 0.5 percent of all society members are elected as Fellows each year.

Patzkowsky was elected for his outstanding research in paleoecology and paleoenvironment and his service to the profession. He also was recognized for his book "Stratigraphic Paleobiology: Understanding the Distribution of Fossil Taxa in Time and Space," his outstanding work on interpreting faunal gradients in the fossil record, and his creation of a pioneering stratigraphic paleobiology field course for the Paleontological Society, where participants learn how to apply modern stratigraphic principles and quantitative analytical methods to the analysis of the fossil record. In 2011, Patzkowsky also received the Distinguished Service Award from the Paleontological Society.

Patzkowsky joined the Penn State faculty in 1992 and his research focuses on the ecological, evolutionary and geological processes that control the diversity, distribution and abundance of fossil taxa in time and space.

Patzkowsky received his bachelor’s degree in geology from Kansas State University, his master’s degree in geology from Indiana University and his doctorate in geophysical sciences from the University of Chicago. In 2002, he was a visiting scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. From 2011-12, he served as the associate head of undergraduate programs.

Patzkowsky will be recognized at the Paleontological Society’s annual meeting, held in conjunction with the Geological Society of America’s annual meeting, slated for October 19-22 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Founded in 1908, the Paleontological Society is an international nonprofit organization devoted exclusively to the advancement of the science of paleontology and has members from 40 countries.

Mark Patzkowsky, professor of geosciences in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, has been elected a 2014 Fellow of the Paleontological Society.  Credit: Mark PatzkowskyAll Rights Reserved.

Last Updated January 9, 2015

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